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India’s AI Revolution: A Roadmap to Viksit Bharat
Context:
India is undergoing a major AI transformation, with the government actively building an inclusive ecosystem through affordable computing, GPUs, and research. Initiatives like the IndiaAI Mission and AI Centres of Excellence drive innovation and self-reliance, supporting the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.
AI Compute and Semiconductor Infrastructure
- Scaling AI Compute Infrastructure: India is developing a high-end common computing facility with 18,693 GPUs, making it one of the world’s largest AI infrastructures.
- Open GPU Marketplace: A pioneering initiative to provide high-performance computing access to startups, researchers, and students at affordable rates.
- Robust GPU Supply Chain: The government has selected 10 companies to ensure a diverse and resilient supply chain for GPUs.
- Indigenous GPU Development: India aims to develop its own GPUs within 3 to 5 years, reducing reliance on imports.
- Affordable Compute Access: Researchers and startups can access GPU power at a subsidised rate of ₹100 per hour, compared to the global rate of $2.5 to $3 per hour.
- Semiconductor Manufacturing: Five semiconductor plants are under construction to boost AI and strengthen India’s electronics industry.
Advancing AI with Open Data and Centres of Excellence (CoE)
- IndiaAI Dataset Platform: A national repository of high-quality, anonymised datasets to accelerate AI development.
- Boosting AI Model Accuracy: Access to diverse, non-personal datasets improves AI reliability in sectors like agriculture, weather forecasting, and traffic management.
- AI Centres of Excellence (CoE): Three CoEs have been set up in Healthcare, Agriculture, and Sustainable Cities in New Delhi, with a fourth CoE for AI in Education (₹500 crore allocation in Budget 2025).
- AI Skilling Initiatives: Five National Centres of Excellence for Skilling will train youth in AI-driven industries, in partnership with global organisations.
India’s AI Models & Language Technologies
- Foundational Large Language Models (LLMs): The IndiaAI Mission is developing indigenous AI models through a call for proposals.
- Digital India BHASHINI: An AI-powered language translation platform enabling internet access in Indian languages through text and voice-based services.
- BharatGen: The world’s first government-funded multimodal LLM initiative, launched in 2024, focusing on language, speech, and computer vision.
- Sarvam-1 AI Model: A large language model (2 billion parameters) optimised for ten major Indian languages, supporting translation, summarisation, and content generation.
- Chitralekha: An open-source video transcreation platform that enables users to edit and generate audio transcripts in Indic languages.
- Hanooman’s Everest 1.0: A multilingual AI system supporting 35 Indian languages, with plans to expand to 90 languages.
AI Integration with Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)
- AI-Powered Digital Public Infrastructure: India’s DPI model, built on Aadhaar, UPI, and DigiLocker, is now integrating AI-driven solutions for governance and financial services.
- Global Recognition of DPI: The G20 Summit and Japan’s patent grant for India’s UPI system highlight its global scalability.
- AI in Mahakumbh 2025: AI-powered railway monitoring, crowd management, and Bhashini-enabled chatbots were deployed for the world’s largest human gathering.
AI Talent & Workforce Development
- AI Education Expansion: The IndiaAI Future Skills initiative is introducing AI courses in universities at undergraduate, postgraduate, and Ph.D. levels.
- AI Skill Penetration: According to the Stanford AI Index 2024, India ranks 1st globally in AI skill penetration, surpassing the US and Germany.
- AI for Women: India leads in AI Skill Penetration for Women, with a score of 1.7, ahead of US (1.2) and Israel (0.9).
- India’s AI Workforce Growth: AI-skilled professionals have increased 14-fold from 2016 to 2023, making India one of the fastest-growing AI talent hubs.
- AI Industry Growth: India’s AI industry is projected to reach USD 28.8 billion by 2025, with a CAGR of 45%.
AI Adoption & Industry Growth
- Businesses Investing in AI: 80% of Indian companies consider AI a core priority, and 69% plan to increase AI investments in 2025.
- Generative AI Startup Boom: GenAI startup funding surged 6x, reaching USD 51 million in Q2 FY2025, driven by B2B and agentic AI startups.
- AI in Workplaces: Seven in 10 Indian employees used AI at work in 2024, up from five in 10 in 2023.
- AI for Small & Medium Businesses (SMBs): 93% of AI-using SMBs reported increased revenues, and 78% saw business growth through AI-driven tools.
- AI Market Growth: India’s AI market is growing at a CAGR of 25-35%, creating new opportunities in AI-driven jobs and applications.
- AI Startup Ecosystem: With 520+ tech incubators and accelerators, India ranks 3rd globally in active startup programs.
A Pragmatic AI Regulation Approach
- Balanced AI Regulation: India follows a pragmatic AI regulation approach, avoiding overregulation while promoting innovation and accountability.
- AI-Driven Safeguards: The government is funding top universities and IITs to develop solutions for deepfakes, privacy risks, and cybersecurity threats.
- Techno-Legal Approach: Instead of strict laws, India combines technology and governance to ensure ethical and inclusive AI development.
